The impact of COVID-19 on the migrant workers and remittances flow to Bangladesh

This study examines the impact of COVID-19 on the migrant workers and remittances flow to Bangladesh, the fastest growing South Asian country. Migrant workers have been playing an important role in propelling the economic activities of the country for a vast majority of the low-income population. Bangladesh is one of the major remittance recipient countries and earned US$21.8 billion in 2020. Over half a million workers from Bangladesh are employed in foreign countries annually, which eases the pressure on the domestic labour market considerably. However, the inflow of these enormous remittances has been encountered by various challenges including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has brought numerous adverse socio-economic impacts on the migrant workers. Policy recommendations suggest designing and implementing well-coordinated public–private migrant workers’ inclusive policies and creating a supportive environment for the returnee migrant workers to overcome this crisis. Initiating dialogues and negotiation with the employing countries to protect the jobs and workers’ rights can restore the employment and remittances during and after the pandemic, facilitate the expansion of the labour market across borders, and harness the valuable remittances for the overall welfare of the country

Cone-beam computed tomography assessment of root canal transportation and evaluation of canal centering using Protaper Gold, XP Endoshaper, and Edgefile X7

Aim: This study aims to access and evaluate canal transportation and canal centering ability of Protaper Gold (PTG), XP EndoShaper (XPS) and EdgeFile X7 using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Materials and Methods: Sixty freshly extracted single-rooted premolars with mature apex and a canal curvature of 10°–20° were chosen and arbitrarily divided into three experimental groups (n = 20). After decoronation, the teeth measuring 16 mm were included in the study for standardization. According to the manufacturer's instructions, canals were shaped with PTG in Group 1, XPS in Group 2 and EdgeFile X7 in Group 3. For the evaluation of the root canal transportation at 2 mm, 4 mm, and 6 mm from the apex, canals were scanned before and after instrumentation using CBCT scanner. Independent t-tests and one-way ANOVA were used to analyze data and significance level was set at P < 0.05. Results: XPS showed significantly lower canal transportation than PTG system. Moreover, the centering ability of the XPS significantly higher than EdgeFile X7 and PTG at all root levels (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The XPS and EdgeFile X7 rotary file system showed the lowest transportation in both mesiodistal and buccolingual directions and also the highest centering ability. The PTG file showed the highest transportation and lowest centering ability

PESTICIDE RESIDUES IN SOME SELECTED POND WATER SAMPLES OF MEHERPUR REGION OF BANGLADESH

Abstract Water samples collected from some selected ponds of Meherpur region were studied for the presence of organophosphorus and carbamate pesticide residues. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique was used to determine the concentration levels of those residues. The results obtained indicate slight contamination of some of the water samples with residues of diazinon, chlorpyriphos (organophosphorus insecticide) and carbofuran (carbamate insecticide). The residues level of diazinon and chlorpyriphos ranged from 0.033 to 0.079 ppm and 0.010 to 0.471 ppm respectively. Among carbamate pesticides, carbofuran identified in two samples ranged from 0.0143 to 0.0387 ppm, and carbaryl was not detected in any of the samples. Limit of detection (LOD) was 0.01 ppm. However, the residue level was also within the acceptable ranges according to the WHO guideline value of water quality. But, the presence of such residues is indicative of weak regulatory control which is required to be in place for safety of the environment and to stop further aggravation of the situation